Men’s basketball tames Cougars

Men’s basketball tames Cougars

The sounds of cheering bounced off the walls at The Swamp as the Gators chomped into another victory as they defeated Cal State San Marcos 73-71.

“I thought it was a big one,” SF State forward Brantley Bynum said, “It just sets us up, so we can move deeper into the ranking. That’s what we want.”

What started off as a game of catch up, the Gators struggled behind the scoreboard up until the last six minutes of the first half that eventually ended 38-30, with the Gators leading.

Although the Gators finished with the lead at halftime, they felt their shooting quality could’ve been better, according head coach Paul Trevor.

“We weren’t shooting the ball real well today,” Trevor said, “I thought that was a weakness. We were open and we just didn’t knock them down.”

SF State Gators guard Treaven Duffy (32) jumps for a layup against Cal State San Marcos Cougars guard Akachi Okugo (1) in Gators’ 73-71win at The SWAMP in SF State Thursday, Feb.11. (Qing Huang/Xpress)

Warren Jackson had an amazing performance in what turned out to be a nail biting game. He scored 20 points, snagged five rebounds (four defensive), and had two assists and one steal.

The game reached a pretty impressive high score from the Gators, which came from the contribution of three players.

“It’s a quality win and I couldn’t be more proud of the guys,” Trevor said.

It was an impressive performance by Warren Jackson, who had a total of 12 points in the first half, adding another eight points in the second, reaching a total of 20 points, five rebounds (four defensive), two assists and one steal.

Jackson was able execute outstanding lay ups and 3-pointers thanks to his teammates that were able to find him at the right spot. His speed allowed him to perform quick counter attacks leaving the San Marcos defense hopeless.

Treaven Duffy and Brantley Bynum also had impressive scoring totals that helped the Gators in both halves of the game.

Bynum fulfilled his position, assuring the Gators had a strong defensive pressence and fought for loose balls and rebounds. Bynum scored a total of 12 points, and had seven rebounds,

Duffy had an amazing performance, scoring a total of 17 points, grabbing 11 rebounds (eight defensive), one assist and two steals.

All three players were huge factors in securing such a high scored win.

“Our goal is to score 70 points, so were always trying to score 70 points or more,” Jackson said, “At the end of the game we are just trying to have more points than the other team.”

The Gators shot 41.8 percent from the field, and the largest lead of the game for the Gators was 8 points. SF State got a total of eight steals to San Marcos’ four.

The Gators will face Sonoma State on Feb. 20, during “senior night,” for the last home game of the season. Coach Trevor said he hopes to achieve yet another win because he feels like the seniors on the team and the fans deserve to see the Gators yet again victorious.

After the game, SF State Gators head coach Paul Trevor, right, and the audiences celebrate Gators’ 73-71 win over Cal State San Marcos Cougars at The SWAMP in SF State Thursday, Feb.11. (Qing Huang/Xpress)